cryptsleeper | 20s AU Post

20s AU Post

Current Carmilla plot outline
--Post-fire, Carmilla and Mr. Peanut team up mostly to use each other. Carmilla's spent the past several months (since November, it is now February 1925) networking, and it's clear to her that Alucard's not suited for the position and that the other two are the obvious weakness. Mr Peanut needs something back, so this is perfect on her end. Mr Peanut can only imagine the joys of vampire blood in his work, and he'd like an army of vampires for his own ends.
--Shit stirring from Mr Peanut (all of March?)
--Mr Peanut also begins to sell mis Miracle Serum, which has vampire blood in it.
--Gang is very much trying to murder Mr Peanut during this.
--Start of April, vampire gets a call from one of the blood bank contacts that 3 patients have come in and are displaying some bizarre signs. Investigation yields the fact that they're in process of turning, and they've all taken the same serum.
--Additional investigation reveals O FUCK IT MR PEANUT
--Meanwhile Carmilla's been made aware of a familiar she didn't sire, so she knows something's up. Big fight with Mr. Peanut and thus Mr. Peanut is left depowered
--Gang commits a murder
--Carmilla's well sured up on her contacts now, and it's time for open rebellion (mid-April)
--In a more subtle attempt to let Alucard just step aside, she cuts the breaks on demon car and shows up to gloat/suggest he not pull a dad and go to deal with his grief quietly while she runs the city. The how he wants to do it is up to him (black widow joke goes here.) Treffy and Sypha walk in.
--1 week of straight up rebellion; feedings, no help from allies, need to do damage control instead of fight carmilla, every dracula rule is
--MEANWHILE IN GRAVITY FALLS, triangle shows Vlad what's up to try and psyche him out, somehow this finalyl snaps Vlad out of his depression and he heads home
--Just in time for Alucard and Carmilla to be tearing each other to bits in one of the bayous, it's not going well
--Vlad coming in means the king of vampires is accosted by a belmont with a pair of blessed knitting needles and a speaker with a fucking gun and he's just like what the shit happened to the world while i was gone
--Wards around the fight means that only demon car can break the wards, everyone has to pile in.
--Carmilla gets her ass kicked AND SENT TO THE JUSTICE DIMENSION

THEN THERE WERE FAERIES.
--Prior to all of this the vampire and Sypha have done a shit ton of research on how to get their Belmont back
--Sypha has also been practicing debating with dad, which leaves everyone Very Tired.
--When Trevor is actually snatched up (1 year after marriage, it takes fae effort. Taking Arn's shape fails, so it's a lot more kidnapping by force), Sypha and Alucard go into Faerie
--But they're playing this as politics, not as heroes rescuing their damsel, so that means the faeries are just "wait what now excuse u?"
--There are 3 gates and 3 trials (the particulars we're still bullshitting.) Each is asked to sacrifice 3 things. (Alucard: voice, his titles as bestowed upon by his father and his people, i forget the third; Sypha: her human form (she's a birb), fuck what were the other two)
--They enter the court at the end of the third trial. After LITERALLY ALL THE TITLES Sypha declares she Speaks for Trevor Belmont
--Claim debate over Trevor, turns out that the rules are in Sypha's favor.
--But that means debating to leave Fae without giving up what they've chosen.
--Sypha lawyers it all out, Alucard is a safety deposit and hangs out with Fae!Trevor
--In the end, safe passage out of Faerie consists of Sypha giving up her memory of the necromancer (billed as a great mage she studied under), the vampire gives up his immortality, and Trevor is replaced with Carmilla (dad was aware of this option and OK with it), but Trevor has his ability to swear taken. He now soundslike a rubber ducky when he tries
--Everyone gets home okay, except for the AU of this AU where the gang fails, but Trevor's on their doorstep like a bat out of Hell because time doesn't work right and he's been in Hell for a WHILE.

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Afternoon?

[ The idea of sleeping in until afternoon shocks him into action exactly enough to move about two inches, to be better positioned to kiss back. Sypha's pajamas remain wedged between the two of them and they're not as warm as the real thing but they're still- still a comfort. Still nice. They keep this stupid state that he's in a soft, positive thing, rather than it quickly spiraling into confusion and hurt because she's gone. ]

She's first out of bed. 've we checked the world isn't ending?

She left at eleven thirty, Trevor.

[Oh no. How terrible, the Belmont slept and slept for a very long while. The attempt to act and then saying fuck it gets a soft laugh out of the vampire, and all he can do is kiss the Belmont again, one hand moving to wrap around his waist and pull him closer.]

We're fine. Just out of basics, and she wanted to take the car out.

[The Demon Car comes with them, because of course it does.]

Shit. Before noon and everything.

[ The fires of hell make a really very efficient system for dealing with frozen car parts and ice on the road.

He murmurs something unintelligible but contented as Alucard pulls him closer. Yes. That. Good. More kisses is also good. Once the kissing stops he leans his head forward, letting his forehead rest against Alucard's cheek. This is what he wants. To be warm and safe and loved and having at least one of them pay attention to him. ]

Too tired. [ He complains, looking at Alucard's neck and apparently thinking better of that kissing plan. Tired and just a little sore and not really up for the consequences of neck-kissing. There's a reason he's in this state. He rubs just face against Alucard's cheek instead. ]

I expect she'll be back before too long.

[Demon car is no match for the roads, and it's why the Demon Car comes with them every trip they make here.

It's wonderful, all the affection. Sleepy and stupid and just a little dazed, and that gets kisses pressed to the top of Trevor's head. One after another after the next, coupled with soft murmurs of praise, mostly because Trevor's too handsome and wonderful right now for Alucard to not say so.]

Hungr-- !!! [A soft laugh follows as Trevor rubs against his cheek. Who's secretly the furry here???]

No.

[ There's a petulance to that. No. Not hungry. Hungry means leaving the bed. Means separating from Alucard when he goes to get food. He can eat when Sypha is back.

Instead he wriggles a little before clambering on top of Alucard so that he's laying against his chest, head resting against his collarbone so that the crown of his own head is in easy kissing range. He's still a little lighter than he was before being taken by the fairies, some bones still hollow like a bird's, but no longer dramatically so. It's become the new normal by now.

He tightens his hold on Alucard. Ha. Trapped. Can't get food. Only cuddles. ]

No lunch. No school. No hospital. Just- [ And he sighs in contentment, stretching out on top of Alucard like a cat. They've not had much time with him in the last few months. ] -Just being here.

Okay, okay. No moving until she's back, I understand.

[He's endeared by not just the petulance, but by what lies behind it. That Alucard is needed here. Wanted. Required. The first year of medical school has been demanding, drawn him away, and taking this month off required a lot of advanced work be handed in. Sleep was optional for most of October, and Alucard would be a liar if he said he wasn't taking advantage of the month to catch up on his sleep too.

There's a sigh and he mushes his face into the top of Trevor's head. The lightness of Trevor is still impossible to ignore, even a year on, and it still makes him worry. Mostly about what might happen if he breaks something in a fight.]

All this from a man who tried to stab me the first time we met.

Succeeded at stabbing. [ He corrects, because he still has some pride. Even like this. ]

Did the stabbing part good, just fucked up the rest of it.

[ He falls quiet for a moment, and then as if it's a big, very important secret, looks up and whispers. ]

You're not supposed to fuck the vampire. That's bad hunting.

Not supposed to fall in love either, yet here we are.

[There's a warmth to Alucard's words, and then he puts his lips to Trevor's again to steal a kiss.]

You did manage the stabbing. But you probably could have done more, couldn't you?

Really not supposed to do that. Fucked up pretty amazingly there.

[ He grins like an idiot at it, though. At the kiss, at the words, at the chance to talk about his area of expertise.

Even in this state, he's good at two things - considering how to kill vampires and regretting his past actions. This is easy. ]

Could have. Didn't have much to work with, but I could've done a decent job of it. Even with the shit I had to hand.

Married the vampire instead.

[And God if he still doesn't thrill at saying that. Alucard's never hidden his wedding ring while in classes or doing rounds, and the question of why it's three interwoven threads of different color metals. He smiles every time and murmurs the words "it means something to us" and never says more.]

Even as drunk as you were?

That's what happens when you don't prepare properly for a hunt.

[ He gives it some thought, then nods. ]

Maybe a little less drunk. One less bottle. I'd need to pay for the dove somehow. You can probably get a dove for the same price as a bottle of shit if you look around enough.

Mmm. Maybe we'll find some new level of married just to make your failure complete.

[Alucard isn't sure that's possible, but the three of them can try.]

....the dove?

The dove.

[ He says it as if it ought to be obvious. ]

Nasty, but it works and it’s cheap. Silver doesn’t grow on trees, and I didn’t have a church back then. Sometimes you have to make do. Let’s see- [ He frowns, trying to remember what he knew back then and what he didn’t. ]

I thought I’d be dealing with Dracula. I’d want to be in the castle undetected for a long time to stand a chance. So for that, you need a bottle of salt water, a bottle of doves blood and a handful of dove feathers. First, you have to make yourself invisible to the crows and wolves on the grounds.

[Yeah, it isn't obvious. And maybe this is a weird and dangerous path to be walking, because this is a casual discussion of how to murder either himself or Dracula.

But Alucard isn't cutting the conversation off either. The minute he saw the man on his doorstep, he took the actions to be a long suicide. He had been right, but...if Trevor was prepared. The question of Alucard's survival is something he's pondered.]

How to the feathers and blood help, exactly?

So to pass any threshold - through the gate, into the castle - you need to hold salt water in your mouth. Keeps the castle from seeing you. You enter the grounds in the early morning, and you go around until you find a birds nest. Crows are awake in the morning, so they'll be away from the nest. And- It was spring, right? Early spring.

[ He thinks, laying on top of Alucard, trying to find a balance between talking about his cool job and just pawing lazily at his husband. He does not find a balance, instead alternating between long explanations and sleepy cuddling. ]

You climb up, take the eggs or the chicks, whichever you find, and replace them with dove feathers. Then you pour the doves blood at the far edge of the grounds and leave the eggs-babies-whatever there. The trick is to goad the crows into starting- you know- a bird war. They're clever, so you have to point that clever at something that isn't you, and then they can't keep the castle informed.

[ Another period of lazy cuddling before- ]

-thing is, most people see the human-shaped thing and think that's the weak link, the part you have to attack. That's not the case with vampires once they get past a certain age. You have to attack everything but them until you have them at enough of an advantage to not die. With the resources I'd have - the best shot would be confusing the castle. It doesn't have its eyes now - they're all off fighting bird wars against doves.

[Alucard finds himself stroking through Trevor's hair with long, nimble fingers eventually. It's what always happens when they snuggle like this, the vampire needing something to do with his hands and being trapped under Trevor's weight. It isn't possessive, or really calming, or anything else of the sort. Just something to do. Just him, holding his Belmont, listening.]

I see. It's an elaborate way to disable the natural defenses, leaving just you and the vampire. The dove's...that's just a Christianity thing, I assume? [Has to be.]

But that still would leave you against a vampire of a certain age. That's a hard fight.

[One that he isn't sure Trevor would win, but would have had a better chance in.]

You really weren't trying against the house, were you?

[ He closes his eyes, contented as Alucard's hands move through his hair. It's calming to him, slowing his explanation of Belmont Things. ]

s'assuming he knows you're there. You stay for a while, now the castle can't see you. Make it think days are just a few minutes longer or shorter, so after a week or so it's an hour behind or ahead. So if you can force him out of the castle, it can't tell him that he's about to head into sunlight. Fuck with the blood supply - you could probably find aconite somewhere, it's not a common weed but it's not rare either. It's never going to be an easy fight, but it doesn't have to be a fair one, either. Poison him, starve him, trick the castle into letting him into the sun.

[ This is, of course, assuming everything goes right. But it's a polished plan, one he spent the better part of the journey to america coming up with. He just- didn't use it. Just went and knocked on the door, not even by daylight. ]

...got tired, I suppose. It was fucking stupid. Got a bed at a boarding house and it hit me that- that was it. This was the closest to home I'd ever get again, and it was a shithole. A shithole where nothing I knew was real, full of people who'd never even thought about the war.

[ He goes quiet, and when he next speaks the words are muffled against Alucard's shoulder. ]

Wasn't much sense in trying. He didn't need to die. Not any more than a bunch of fucks sending suckers to their deaths for the sake of their pride.

[There are a few points where Alucard's hands slow down, because what Trevor is describing is truly the stuff of terror to him. That anyone could cause the castle to behave in such a way still feels untrue. That basics like night and day could be obscured, and he almost says just that.

It isn't the point. The point is listening, and knowing how this could have gone instead. That the castle could have betrayed him, had Trevor gone through with the actual plan he had rather than what he went with in the end.]

I suppose peaking out a window might've thrown off things. Or owning a watch that's just on one's wrist.

[They're gentle prods, more jokes than real critiques of what Trevor's said. But by the time he's done, talking about much sense in trying, Alucard's wrapped his arms around Trevor tighter and is giving him a much tighter squeeze.]

For any host of reasons, I'm glad you didn't go with the plan.

[His husband. That's all he can think, and Alucard's face is buried into the top of Trevor's head.]

Better thought out than mine with Her.

[ He's gone quiet and still. The bad kind of quiet and still, at first. They don't really talk about when things were that bad, about how even Carmilla's time was better in some ways than what came before it.

Then the tired and clingy sort of quiet. He lets Alucard guide him back into himself, mumbling against his shoulder. ]

Never occurred to me that fucking Dracula might have a watch.

[ That, that is the thing that brings him back. Because of course it is. ]

You fought fair. That matters to vampires. You're all floaty bastards who don't die.

[Alucard's hands move to Trevor's back. He doesn't brush against Trevor's spine, but much closer to his side. Just to calm him further. This ground they're trodding over by accident is perilous, and Alucard's the one who brought it all up.]

Sometimes he does.

[Now, maybe a bit more. If his son's insisting upon moving, he'll have to. (Dad doesn't like moving. But he also really could do without the trio in the castle. It's a problem.)}

I suppose it matters.

[Fuck every last one of them.]

Is that the approach you would've taken with her?

Edited 2019-09-05 22:33 (UTC)

It can matter, I suppose. It's not like being a human. [ Well. Fairy. ] No sense at all in fighting fair when the other guy can have your neck snapped and his belly all fill of blood before you can blink.

[ And that's why the Belmonts are like this, isn't it? You have to develop some oddities when you're so dwarfed by the impossibility of the task you've taken on.

He rolls off Alucard's chest, landing on the bed with a soft 'oof' and curling up against him. It's clingy, still, but actively so instead of simply demanding attention. They almost lost him. ]

Her house is fucking stupid. There's no using that to get to her. [ He pulls Alucard closer to him and there's a note of something nasty and vindictive to his voice. ]

Had more resources, for her. We had blood, from the serum. That's fucking massive. I'd feed it to maggots, hundreds of them. They wouldn't turn, but there'd be a connection. I'd leave them at the castle while I went to hide out in her house until I got an opportunity. Then she was alone, I'd have Sypha or you drop them all into boiling water. That'd give me- ten seconds, maybe? While she'd be incapacitated.

[ Has he considered this plan at length, both before and after Alucard's fight with Carmilla? Absolutely. ]

No, I suppose there isn't. Not when it's your life that hangs in the balance of it all.

[It does explain so many things about the Belmonts. But most of all it speaks to that horrible delicate balance of self-sacrifice for an impossible task versus what it takes to continue the family line. For vampires, you can always turn someone anyway.

Alucard doesn't like that Trevor rolls off of him. Not at all, and he inches after Trevor almost immediately as to loose none of the warmth between them. Even as Trevor pulls him closer.]

...Probably would've worked.

[But they could have lost Trevor. Also unacceptable, just swapping one for the other.]

Probably.

[ He can't pull Alucard any tighter, so he just rests his head against him and tegs at the blankets instead, burying them both deeper in the mountain of warm things. He's thought a little too hard, pulled himself out of the soft, comfortable state that the other two so carefully got him into. He'll be back to it eventually, no doubt, but right now it feels like suddenly falling into cold water.

They'll probably never come to a conclusion on what would have been right. Alucard might have won, but seeing the state that he was in it's hard to imagine him surviving even in victory. And even if Trevor survived Carmilla's loyal falling upon him in the aftermath of her death, the city would have called for his blood. No matter what happened, one of them would be gone. The two of them will never agree on which of them it ought to have been

(Him. It would have been best if it were him. Alucard had thousands of years ahead of him, back then, and Trevor less than three.) ]

But we didn't lose you, and that's all I give a shit about.

I love you too.

(Because that is what it is always about in the end, isn't it? What one does for love. What they will sacrifice, and that was the problem with the Carmilla situation. The city demanded a decision, and the three of them only wanted privacy and the time for each other.

So if one of them had to die for love, then so be it.)

Beyond words most days, Trevor.

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20s AU Post

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